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Senate Bill to Ban TikTok

congress.gov

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Re: Senate Bill to Ban TikTok

#161

Post by ribosometronome »

ozymandias12 wrote: post #103
ramblenode wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> China doesn't allow FB, Insta, Twitter, etc to operate in its market > If western social media companies were able to offer their services in China I've seen this meme floating around a lot recently and feel the need to add in some relevant history. Between the mid and late aughts Google, Facebook, and Twitter were all operating in China. Around this time the Chinese government got very serious about content filter…

Allow me to elaborate a bit more: by implementing the firewall, China not only isolated itself, it enabled the western internet to concentrate western investment on Silicon Valley firms, that with no big Chinese companies around, established today’s western world internet monopolies. Or in plain English, by closing itself, China literally helped US companies dominate the www. China on the other hand, not only had the…

You're making the opposite argument of the comment you're replying to, though. China can't simultaneously have isolated itself (as you say) and it be the fault of Western companies choosing not participate in China (as the person you're replying to) says.

It sounds like you both agree China made a market that was specifically hostile to American companies, including intentionally banning some, though. Which is kind of the point most people are making when they talk about market reciprocity.

Re: Senate Bill to Ban TikTok

#162

Post by throwawaysleep »

charlieflowers wrote: post #20
gretch wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not what the concern of the bill is and it's completely transparent. Just read the first 2 pages of the bill and you can see the concern is, in the words of the bill, a "foreign adversary" and their ability to "sabotage or subversion of the design, integrity, manufacturing, production, distribution, installation, operation, or maintenance of information and communications technology products and services in th…

The real concerns, in order of importance, are: 1. This is a way of getting memes to the masses that we (the US political establishment) can't fully control. 2. Meta and others are getting their asses kicked revenue-wise by Tik Tok. Like any business, they'd use anything they could to fight back. Turns out they can use China fear mongering, so they are. 3. (Added) Believe it or not, there's nationalistic pride here.…

To correct #1, it is a way that China can fully control.

Re: Senate Bill to Ban TikTok

#164

Post by withinboredom »

Maybe someone will scroll all the way down to this comment. Probably not.

For half a decade, I have lived outside of the US, and I've watched as it has fallen to shit in slow motion. I make a decent chunk of income in USD and this terrifies me... but this. This move saddens me.

There are only so many hours that congress has to make real decisions ... and this, this is what they spent their time on? Talking about how 'kids' might be influenced by an algorithm when they're being influenced every day by how they might get shot up in math class? Come on (wo)man. This shit is fucking stupid.

It's just sad to me, sad to watch the country I grew up in, the one I went to war for ... do this level of stupid shit.

That's my 2 bucks, spend it how you want it.

Re: Senate Bill to Ban TikTok

#165

Post by hitpointdrew »

Entinel wrote: post #163

This bill is so awful it cannot be allowed to pass. It reminds me of the Patriot Act.

It's MUCH WORSE than the Patriot act. This bill is absolutely horrific. And calling it at bill to "ban TikTok" is extremely disingenuous as it egregiously goes well beyond that.

Re: Senate Bill to Ban TikTok

#166

Post by Quinner »

beebmam wrote: post #160
humanistbot wrote: post #3

If the concern is privacy and security, which apply to all social media platforms, then why not pass actual privacy and security laws that would apply equally to all social media platforms, regardless of who currently owns it or may own it in the future?

Because other social media companies aren't owned or controlled by an authoritarian state, one which expresses threats of violent aggression to its neighboring countries.

This is America, we follow through on our threats of violent aggression, no matter how far away other countries are. And when we ban speech, it's not authoritarianism, it's Freedom.

Re: Senate Bill to Ban TikTok

#167

Post by nbar1 »

tzs wrote: post #71

What happens when one or both of these happen: 1. Apple adds easy support for non-Apple app stores and side-loading to iOS to comply with the recent EU regulations that require opening things up in 2024, and then people can download TikTok from outside the US and install it? 2. TikTok users switch to using the TikTok website instead of the app? It looks like the main thing the app gives you that the website can't is…

The vast majority of people will not use the website even when the app is not available.

Re: Senate Bill to Ban TikTok

#168

Post by nbar1 »

withinboredom wrote: post #164

Maybe someone will scroll all the way down to this comment. Probably not. For half a decade, I have lived outside of the US, and I've watched as it has fallen to shit in slow motion. I make a decent chunk of income in USD and this terrifies me... but this. This move saddens me. There are only so many hours that congress has to make real decisions ... and this, this is what they spent their time on? Talking about how…

"might be" is not the concern, it's that they are.

Re: Senate Bill to Ban TikTok

#169

Post by calgarymicro »

AustinDev wrote: post #149
tzs wrote: post #71

What happens when one or both of these happen: 1. Apple adds easy support for non-Apple app stores and side-loading to iOS to comply with the recent EU regulations that require opening things up in 2024, and then people can download TikTok from outside the US and install it? 2. TikTok users switch to using the TikTok website instead of the app? It looks like the main thing the app gives you that the website can't is…

The language on what constitutes a violation is vague, but it does appear you could face hefty fines and jail time for this behavior under the current draft of the act. "Hence anyone using a VPN to access TikTok would be in trouble—specifically, subject to up to $1 million in fines, 20 years in prison, or both."[1] [1] https://reason.com/2023/03/29/could-the-restrict-act-crimina...

If you believe the Senator who wrote it (up to you I guess), this doesn't meet the bar for prosecution.

> Warner's office says this isn't so. Spokesperson Rachel Cohen told Newsweek that the provisions only apply when someone is "engaged in 'sabotage or subversion' of communications technology in the U.S., causing 'catastrophic effects' on U.S. critical infrastructure, or 'interfering in, or altering the result' of a federal election in order for criminal penalties to apply."

Re: Senate Bill to Ban TikTok

#170

Post by natdempk »

poulsbohemian wrote: post #141
charlieflowers wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is mind boggling, and at the same time not surprising at all, that China is enforcing a humane policy to protect its children when we are not willing to do the same.

>It is mind boggling, and at the same time not surprising at all, that China is enforcing a humane policy to protect its children when we are not willing to do the same. By whose standards? The United States has never been an ideologically cohesive nation outside some basic principles of representative democracy - and even those have been challenged at moments in our history. The moment you get beyond the basics of a…

We need to move past the "TikTok = people dancing" stage of discussion.

TikTok has expanded to be the dominant short form video platform for every interest, niche, and micro niche you can imagine that exists, and even ones you can't imagine.

Please anyone reading this comment replace "TikTok = people dancing" with "TikTok = feed + discovery for short form video tailored to your specific interests no matter how niche". Yes this includes programming, science, education, dancing, gaming, cooking, acrobatics, painting, arguing, politics, news, weather, etc. basically anything you can imagine that isn't against their content policies.

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